In the container filling industry, filling nozzle cut-off valves are utilized for quickly shutting off the flow of a fluid into a container after proper fill has been achieved. The fluids being dispensed may include pharmaceutical preparations dispensed in very low volumes, materials of very low viscosity such as alcohols, materials having a high viscosity such as heavy greases, foamy materials such as liquid detergents, abrasive materials such as toothpaste, string materials such as petrolatum, and fluent materials having particles entrained therein such as strawberry jam. While a large number of nozzle control valves have been developed for handling specific types of fluids, (one such example being shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,382), a satisfactory general purpose filling nozzle cut-off valve has yet to be developed. A general purpose filling nozzle cut-off valve must not only be suitable for all types of fluids, but it must also be fast acting having a clean cut-off, have no perceptible leakage subsequent to cut-off, be capable of being operated over a large range of operational pressures, be durable having a relatively indefinite service life, be of relatively low cost, be of simple design, be sanitary, and be easy to take apart for cleaning purposes. Additionally there should be very little motion of the filling nozzle cut-off valve as it shifts between its open and closed positions to avoid spitting, and the discharge through the outlet should be laminar. The filling nozzle cut-off valves also should be of a compact design so that they may be disposed closely adjacent one another when filling multiple small diameter containers in an in-line filling machine. Because of the many differing criteria for such a valve typically a manufacturer of filling machines will of necessity offer a large number of filling valves to his customers to meet their varied product requirements.